TAKE 2: Race for rushing, receiving leaders crowded

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Jacobson: It’s hard to believe we already are in Week 6 of the regular season. Through the first five games, Kaneland quarterback Drew David once again leads the area in passing yards, and by a wide margin. He’s thrown for 1,099 and 12 touchdowns so far.

But the rushing and receiving leaderboards are a bit more crowded. Who’s your pick to take home the area rushing title in 2012?

Nitz: I’m going with the best running back in the area, DeKalb’s Dre Brown. Sure, the guy is second in the area right now, 88 yards behind Austin Culton. But he’s averaging 9.2 yards a carry. Think about that for a second. That’s insane. If Brown played last week, he probably would be the area’s leading rusher right now.

How about receiving. Right now, Sycamore’s Ben Niemann has 423 yards, 58 ahead of Kaneland’s Zach Martinelli. Who do you have there?

Jacobson: The only thing I worry about with Brown is the concussion that caused him to miss last week’s game. Head injuries are never anything to take lightly and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the coaches be careful with him, especially as a sophomore.

The receiving race is a tough call, but I’ll take Niemann at this point. Niemann has quickly become junior quarterback Devin Mottet’s go-to target, and the two have executed a number of big plays so far. What “hurts” Martinelli’s stats is the presence of Kaneland’s other playmakers. The Knights have four players with 10-plus receptions this year.

Your thoughts?

Nitz: This seems like the toughest race to me, but I’ll go with Martinelli. The Knights will air it out a lot in the spread attack, and I feel like Martinelli has the area’s best quarterback, Drew David, throwing to him. Niemann is a good receiver, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him lead the area in receiving yards, but I’ll stick with the Kaneland senior.